Technical Car/Motor Issues > KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug Miscellaneous
Thread Author: bathtub tom Replies: 17
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 11:11 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - bathtub tom
Got the new gearbox in. Thought I'd pull the drain plug to make sure any water was out before I refilled it and the thread's come out - completely stripped. Any suggestions for solutions? Helicoil perhaps? Can it be done in situ? Amateur jobbie? Perhaps I could 'glue' the plug back in as I'm not likely to ever want to remove it again?

Any suggestions welcome.
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 12:43 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - VxFan
Helicoil would be the best solution - providing you don't get any swarf in the gearbox when tapping out the hole for it.
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 13:16 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - No FM2R
Araldite.

Like you said, its not going to be coming back out again.
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 21:23 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - Zero
>> Araldite.
>>
>> Like you said, its not going to be coming back out again.

Its a 50 quid gearbox on a 25 quid car.

Araldite.
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 21:34 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - Lygonos
Long time back managed to clout the sump on a Maxi automatic (had about 4 inches of ground clearance) and gouge a chunk of the alloy that allowed the engine/box oil to dribble out.

Fixed nicely with tinyurl.com/chemical-metal

Araldite would work too - if you really needed to drain again just drill a hole and re-plug.


edit: pretty sure I'd not use either product for a damaged wishbone (?) as it appears in that link!
Last edited by: Lygonos on Mon 3 Dec 12 at 21:35
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 Wed 5 Dec 12 09:13 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - L'escargot
>> Araldite would work too -

Araldite will only work if oil or grease are cleaned from the surfaces with a suitable solvent.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Wed 5 Dec 12 at 09:14
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 Wed 5 Dec 12 09:58 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - bathtub tom
>>Araldite will only work if oil or grease are cleaned from the surfaces with a suitable solvent.

Both parts cleaned with an old toothbrush, liberally, with white spirit. Any residue removed with a blast of contact cleaner. Let's hope it's enough.

Ordered that plastic vernier yet?
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 Wed 5 Dec 12 10:32 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - L'escargot
>> Ordered that plastic vernier yet?
>>

I'm hoping to get one from either Wilkinsons or our local Draper stockist. www.drapertoolbox.co.uk/draper-18066-150mm-or-6-3086-63714
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 22:47 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - bathtub tom
>>Its a 50 quid gearbox on a 25 quid car.

OI!

The car cost fifty quid - and it's got half a tank of petrol.
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 Mon 3 Dec 12 23:26 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - Number_Cruncher
If the bung seals via a taper thread, then a helicoil would be a bad choice as the chance of sealing both the helicoil and the bund is rather slim.

If there is enough material to make a decent flat on the outer surface of the gearbox casing, then a workmanlike repair would be to file the surface flat, and then tap the hole to fit an appropriate sump plug and sealing washer.

However, you might also make an acceptable repair by picking the stripped alloy threads out of the bung, using some goo, and re-fitting the bung, allowing a wider part of the taper to re-cut a new thread.
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 Tue 4 Dec 12 09:01 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - bathtub tom
Not a taper thread.

tinyurl.com/btvzeyl

tinyurl.com/cobl3z4
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 Tue 4 Dec 12 15:14 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - L'escargot
>> tinyurl.com/cobl3z4
>>

That looks like a fairly decent plastic vernier caliper. Where did you get it from? I had one but I've mislaid it and I'm missing it already.
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 Tue 4 Dec 12 16:10 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - bathtub tom
Wilkinson, about ten years ago. They were only a quid each, so I bought two - I guessed I'd ruin one so thought a spare would be a good idea. Damned if I know where the other is.

However: www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=plastic%20vernier%20caliper&_sop=15
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 Tue 4 Dec 12 21:27 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - Dave_
Funnily enough I've just been reading an old Practical Classics magazine which mentioned sump plug thread strippage on the letters page. They suggested obtaining a tapered replacement sump plug, specifically produced to do this job... A quick Google though threw up some people who'd cracked housings by forcing tapered sump plugs into them.

It's a vote for Araldite from me then, too :)
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 Tue 4 Dec 12 21:59 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - Zero
>> Funnily enough I've just been reading an old Practical Classics magazine which mentioned sump plug
>> thread strippage on the letters page. They suggested obtaining a tapered replacement sump plug, specifically
>> produced to do this job... A quick Google though threw up some people who'd cracked
>> housings by forcing tapered sump plugs into them.

I seem to remember in my car fixing youth, that a stripped sump plug was a way of life, every one I undid seems like that anyway.
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 Sun 9 Dec 12 02:19 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - No FM2R
Whereas I can barely remember ever removing one.

Everything I owned at that time burned or leaked oil so badly that all one had to do was top it up a lot.

Exhaust manifold bolts on the other hand, I stripped and/or snapped a whole bunch of those.
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 Mon 10 Dec 12 09:40 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - TeeCee
>> Exhaust manifold bolts on the other hand, I stripped and/or snapped a whole bunch of
>> those.
>>

I once offered a paw while a senior Kwik-fit bloke teased out three sheared manifold studs using a gas torch and mole grips. Looking at 'em, I wouldn't have believed it possible as there was very little remaining proud of the flange.
Heat until orange and soft, squish what remains of the stud into a flat "ear", allow to cool until dull red and fairly solid, then turn to remove.

You'll all be no doubt delighted to hear that your prejudices remain undamaged though. It was one of their lads who'd used steel nuts with the wrong thread and a windy gun to ensure the whole lot sheared on removal in the first place.
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 Sun 9 Dec 12 22:57 
 KIA Pride - 94 1.3 Stripped gearbox drain plug - Number_Cruncher
>>Not a taper thread.

Sorry, I missed your reply, and doubtless, I'm too late to be of help in this case - but, hopefully this may help if anyone else has this kind of problem.

Not being a taper thread makes this much easier, as long as the sealing washer sits outside the helicoil's outer diameter, it should work well, and be a long lasting repair.

When there's any chance that the bolt will be undone again, I tend to use a setting loctite type to "glue" the outer part of the helicoil into the new female thread, so that the helicoil doesn't simply unwind when you next remove the bolt.

If you want to avoid having to re-tap the gearbox casing, a Tappex insert can also work well, as it cuts its own thread as it is fitted.

The vital thing, whatever thread repair is used is to ensure that care is taken with any drilling / tapping operation to be absolutely sure you are working at 90 degrees to the sealing surface. It's worth taking some time to get these cutting operations right.
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